Occupational health and safety news and guidance

An illegal gas fitter has been prosecuted for endangering lives at a property in Surrey with shoddy and unsafe work.

Michael Gill, 66, installed a new gas boiler and flue at a house in
Kingsmead Park, Elstead, on 5 March 2008, both of which were left in a
dangerous condition.

Guildford Magistrates' Court heard yesterday (1 May) that he falsely
claimed to be a registered gas engineer approved by the Health and
Safety Executive to carry out gas work.

He continued to operate with bogus CORGI accreditation and returned
to the same property on four separate occasions between 5 March 2009 and
22 June 2011 to annually service the boiler. During this time he should
have been registered with the Gas Safe Register, which replaced CORGI
as the watchdog for gas safety on 1 April 2009.

Gas Safe Register inspected the boiler and found a number of defects
with Mr Gill's installation. Three of these were classed as 'immediately
dangerous', four were designated 'at risk' and six were deemed as 'not
to current standards'. As a result the gas supply was turned off until
the boiler and flue were made safe, and the matter was passed to HSE.

Mr Gill, of Beech Hanger Road, Grayshott, pleaded guilty to multiple
breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 for
his work and for operating illegally. He was fined £600 and ordered to
pay £385 in costs. He attended court having been arrested for failing to
show at an earlier hearing on 30 April.